Discovering new reactivity by combining organic, organometallic, and physical-organic chemistries

Direction 1: Functional group transposition

Skeletal editing has become quite popular in recent years because it gives chemists the ability to delete or insert atoms or groups. In contrast, we are interested in achieving bona fide "copy-paste" reactivity where the positions of two distinct functional groups are exchanged. Recently, we discovered an unprecedented strategy to transpose internal enones into terminal ones. Now, we are on the hunt for the next unprecedented exchange transformation, one that can unlock new avenues for the synthesis of complex molecules of societal interest.

Selected References:
1. "Visible Light-Driven Contra-Thermodynamic Functional Group Transposition of Chalcones" J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2026, 148, 801.

Direction 2: Multicomponent syntheses of versatile molecules

If you've traveled by plane, you're familiar with airport hubs. Applied to molecular synthesis, "hub" molecules, like those containing -boryl and -silyl groups, can expedite the construction of complex products for use academically and industrially. While we install these valuable groups, we figure we would simultaneously also install another useful group like amines. Rather than do this sequentially, our goals seek to create strategies that rely on a "dump and stir" style approach, letting kinetics and catalysts govern their selective assembly. 

Selected References:
1. "Sustainable synthesis of diverse 1,1-aminosilane libraries using a multicomponent Cu-catalyzed reaction" Org. Lett. 2025, 27, 7100.

Direction 3: Discovering light-driven ketone decarbonylation

Carbon-carbon bonds are among the most stable bonds in nature, but are also among the most abundant. Thus, it stands to reason that cleaving C-C bonds presents a significant chemical challenge. Within the field of C-C bond activation, excising C=O from molecules at mild conditions stands as a significant, unconquered challenge. One of our goals is to leverage light as an energy source to power the deletion of carbonyls from organic molecules, creating a facile strategy to rapidly alter their spatial orientation and reactivity profiles. 

earomero@ucsd.edu

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